Black, gay, bullied: a footballer's journey to honours at the Palace
David Cohen
27 Jan 2011
"Can you imagine," said Aslie Pitter, "what the comments might have been had the linesman in this week's football sexism row been an openly gay man? I mean, I would bet anything that the off-air comments would have been just as derogatory, if not far worse."
Pitter was speaking to the Standard after having his suit fitted for his upcoming visit to Buckingham Palace, where he will receive his MBE for tackling homophobia in football and for his work with Stonewall FC, the country's first gay team, founded 20 years ago.
"I'm often asked, 'Have things improved in football since 1991?'" he said. "The answer is: how many openly gay players do you see in the Premiership today? There are none. Zero. Think about that. Apart from Justin Fashanu - who only came out at the end of his career and whose footballing brother John disowned him - there has been nothing. Rugby, in comparison, has made tremendous strides. Gareth Thomas has come out as gay, as have others, but football is stuck in the Dark Ages.
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